Holey Socks and All My Love.

I've seen how a lot of people do those cute "birthday interviews" with their kids on their birthdays. I decided I wanted to give it a try with Merrick. It's his 5th birthday today! My sweet, innocent, energetic, curious, ADHD (and a little OCD) first-born. During this interview he was hopping around the room, playing with toys, and climbing the window and the coffee table...just wanted you to get a good visual in your head. ;) (I'm in italics, his answers are in bold.) I was in tears and snorting laughing by the time we were done. I love him so.

1. How old are you? Five.

2. Who is your best friend? Um, I think I have a lot of them. Bernesh, Kareem, Nadjula, Willow, and Brock. And Adair. Toby is not my friend though because he is a dog. So is Baylor.

3. What is your favorite thing to do? Play with cars that talk, that have buttons on their top. And I like to play football.

4. What is your favorite color? Blue and red. And also green. And blue. And I love dinosaurs.

5. What is your favorite food? Ummm...I love candy. That's my favorite food.

6. What do you like to do with your family? Clean the kitchen. And I love playing with daddy and riding our bikes, and cutting the grass. And I love picking strawberries, and cooking waffles, and chicken and fries from Chick-Fil-A. And also I'm thinking about those cheez-its that I ate. I LOVE cheez-its.

7. What is your favorite toy? Football guys. I love those toys. They are my favorite. I have them right now. In my hand.

8. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be Captain America.

9. What makes you happy? Eating pie. *He's never had pie. I really have no idea where this came from. He told me it was because on Word World Pig makes pie.* And I love playing in my costumes. And I also love going "trick-or-cheating".

10. What makes you sad? When I can't go and play outside when it's raining.

11. What is your favorite show to watch? Football. I love football. Football is great. And I love it. Girls can play football sometimes, but sometimes they can't. *Looking lovingly at his football figurines* THESE are football guys. Can I eat something? *It sounds like I don't feed him, keep in mind he's just finished lunch.*

12. What is your favorite book? Um...my favorite book is Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom and the Balloon Book. Can we read it? I'll go get it now. *On the way to get it he got distracted by his new toy guy, picks it up, aims at my head..."I shotted you.")*

13. What do you love to learn about? I love learning about...opening presents. *Had to remind him this questions wasn't about presents.* Oooooh. I love learning about animals and gorillas. I love those to learn about.

14. What was the best part of your birthday? I love eating cake. That's what I'm excited about. Now can I tell you about presents?

15. Where do you like to go? Nanny and Pops house, and to stores that are not cold. And I love drinking milk. Everywhere I can go.

16. Who is your teacher? I don't know. *Told him: you're looking at her.* You're my teacher!

17. What is your favorite treat? Um I love eating candy corns...but they're not treats. I'm going to eat a snack.

18. What do you think about before you fall asleep? Thinking about milk, and chocolate milk. *As he looks at me through his toy binoculars.*

19. If you could meet someone who would it be? Fanchesco, the car. 

20. What was your favorite birthday present? The football guys that are right over there behind you.

He is hilarious, and brings a mixture of crazy and sheer joy to all of us. He simultaneously drives his little sister crazy, and looks out for her saying he will save her from would-be kidnappers with his "good puncher-hands". He is a gift, and I can't believe it's been five years since he made his way into this world. This boy who first made me a mama, who has taught me so much, loved me so sweetly and scraped me so raw (as only kiddos can) at the same time. He's made me realize my selfishness and want to be a better person for his sake, grown like a weed and yet somehow stays a newborn in a fuzzy blue hat in my eyes, asks me questions to which I don't have the answers and teaches me things I never knew, runs through my heart with his holey socks and dirty fingernails, smelling like little boy and all my love. I am so undeserving of the gift of this beautiful boy, and while I have moments of not knowing what to do with him they will never outnumber the not knowing what I'd do without him. I'm so aware, as always, that even though it's his birthday, I'm the one who's received a gift. I love you, Merrick Wilder!